1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a buckle for fastening a closure flap of a bag, a rucksack or the like, and also for fastening straps, belts or suspenders of a shoe, a boot, trousers, a skirt or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 62-185510 discloses a buckle of the type described which buckle comprises, as shown in FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 of the accompanying drawings, interlocking male and female members A, D. The male member A comprises a tongue-shaped presser B having on its lower surface a pair of engaging legs C, C, which is engageable with the engaging edge E of an aperture in the female member D when the male member A is pressed against the female member B so as to force the legs C, C into the aperture from the upper side of the female member D in a snap action. The female member D has a pair of resilient arms F, F having a pair of inwardly directed pushing portions. When the two arms F, F are pressed toward each other, the pusher portions pushes the legs C, C so as to resiliently bend the same inwardly, thereby bringing the engaging legs C, C out of engagement with the engaging edge E of the aperture.
Since the conventional buckle is of the type that the arms F, F disposed on the opposite sides of the female member D must be gripped and compressed for the operation of uncoupling the male member A from the female member D, the uncoupling operation is difficult indeed where the underlying fabric piece is so soft that the female member D is partly embedded in such a soft fabric piece or where the female member D is thin and hence the resilient arms F, F and the grips provided thereon are much thinner.
With the foregoing drawback in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide a buckle wherein the uncoupling operation of the male member from the female member can be accomplished easily irrespective of whether the underlying fabric piece is hard or whether the female member is thick.
According to the present invention, there is provided a buckle comprising: a male member having a tongue-shaped presser having on its lower side a pair of engaging legs; a female member being in the form of a case and including in its upper side an aperture for insertion of the engaging legs, and a pair of transversely spaced resilient arms formed integrally to one end of the female member and terminating in free ends for angular movement around their proximal ends against their own resiliency, the arms having engaging means for engagement with the engaging legs when the engaging legs are forced through an aperture; and an uncoupling means for bringing the engaging means out of engagement with the engaging legs, the uncoupling means having a disk rotatably mounted on the upper side of the female member; the uncoupling means further including linking means for so operatively linking the disk and the resilient arms that the rotation of the disk causes the resilient arms angularly move against their own resiliency, thereby bringing the engaging means out of engagement with the engaging legs.
Many other objects, advantages and additional features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principle of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example .